For long bouts of typing my favorite so far is a boxy 2nd generation Hermes 3000. It's just plain effortless. For style, though, it's a 1939 Royal Quiet Deluxe that I got in mint condition from a lady locally. Almost as easy as the 3000, and style for days and days.

 

I find nothing but newer Smith Corona electrics out here it seems, it gets old. At the same time my Smith Corona Super Silent is my favorite machine. 

Ha! It's Salvador Allende. I wonder what typewriter he preferred.

In other news, I am very pleased to report that, having got my Lettera 22 fixed up and got new grommets for it from the Typewriter Man, I now love it. I'm going to sell the 32 and stick with this one. 

If I ever do get the Studio 44 going right - I mean when I do - I think I'll really like that one, too. But it will never be the SM3 or the SM8. I just love everything about the Olympias.

It is funny how people home in on the one they love. But most of you are in the US, and over here in the UK you just don't see these old Smith Corona models you guys talk about. I'd love to get one of those Super 5s. Even the Royals are thin on the ground over here.

Last edited by KatLondon (06-3-2015 17:51:12)

Olympias are plentiful in London. The only Hermes I've ever been able to get my hands on was a 1949 Baby that I lovingly got working, only for the teeth to go on the carriage rail, or something. I was bidding on a 3000 the other day but got beat to it. But today by a miraculous happenstance I was able to get hold of a Remington Envoy (1940 I think - it's the older kind) for £20! A bit of tlc and ingenuity and it works a treat. I love it. 

Last edited by KatLondon (08-3-2015 16:09:35)

I don't have a favourite brand but I do have favourite machines which some will perhaps find a little strange. At the top of the favourite list is the Erika Pullman, a late model 10 probably because I have used it since I was 14, does everything I want and I always feel at home with it. It is heavy, more of a semi-portable and not everyone's cup of tea. I have used many full size office machines over the years from 1930's L C Smith and 60's Royals, Imperials and Smith Coronas'. I can't say any of them left any lasting impressions. They were just office machines that did the job. The Imperial 66 was nice, wrote a few manuals on one. My second most favourite is the Hermes Ambasador, it's huge, very heavy and the only typewriter to have NATO approval. It was beautiful to type with and very quiet. Sadly, it had to go after 10 years as it was just too big to have in the house, the long carriage didn't help either. Third favourite arrived only last week and maybe the oddest choice of all. It's a 1939 Empire baby deluxe although what is deluxe about it I can't imagination. It has only the most basic functions in order for it to qualify to be a typewriter. This is the machine I learnt to type on when I was 10 and within an hour we were really flying, faster than the Erika and for a while I was almost re-living my child hood. Next would be the Empire Aristocrat, bought because I couldn't find a 1930's Empire baby. It soon reminded me why I part exchanged the Empire baby but I like to type with it.

Least favourite brand  is very easy. The IBM badged electric golf ball machine which was almost hate at first sight. It was the boss's secretary's machine and I had to use it when she was using the old manual Royal which she did most of the time as she hated the thing as well. I was told to avoid Olivetti portables in my youth, light and very popular with sales reps and journalist as they had a short service life although the local typewriter shop made a good living selling them. I bought one on Ebay, it was like my Fiat car I had in the 70's, they both fell apart.

So I my favourite brand is Empire (?) maybe not for the best of reasons but there is no accounting for taste is there.